Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is a film based on the Bengali writer Saradindu
Bandopadhyay's iconic detective series, which was also screened as a television
series from 1993 to 1997 on DD National. The story is about a student approached by his
fellow classmate to investigate the disappearance of his father. The student turned
sleuth Byomkesh Bakshy on his first case embarks on a thrilling investigation
that turns out to be lethal and haunting day by day. This story is set up in
the backdrop of 1942 Calcutta ruled by Britishers in India.

The disappearance of Bhuvan Babu leads to a series of dots which needs to
be connected to reach the real villain of the story and how Byomkesh does it
with his distinct style of investigation is something to watch in the theatres.
Murder, suspicion, treachery, conspiracy, nationalism, and revenge awaits
you...

What happens to Byomkesh and his case, who is the actual murderer of
Bhuvan, what is the connection between
the Japanese and the Indian Nationalists ... I am sure you would love to watch
on screen :)

Reviewer's Thumb Mark:

Byomkesh Bakshi, the ace Bengali detective from the 1993-1997 DD National
TV Series has been bottled and labeled with a different flavour by Dibaker
Banerjee by naming him Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (with a 'Y' instead of an
'i" and an exclamatory mark'!'that evokes more suspense and curiosity in
store for the viewers). Amid air
raids and the impending warnings of attacks of the Japanese bombings over
Calcutta in World War II era the story of a student turned detective steps on a
journey of unraveling the secrets of
rivalry between two-drug dealers (Shangai's Green Gang and Yang Guan) for supremacy entangled amidst a political movement
against the Britishers in India. Never did Byomkesh imagine that he would
stumble upon a minefield of dangerous and fatal happenings by taking up the job
of a fellow-student Ajit's father Bhuvan's missing case, that too reluctantly.

Neatly crafted by Dibaker Banerjee
(Director) and Nikos Andritsakis
(cinematographer) makes you sit with eyes glued on the screen not to miss the
sequence of mystery unraveling added with thrill that pushes you to the edge of
the seat wanting more. The Calcutta of
40's is so beautifully depicted that one can't resist appreciating the work of
the film maker in this regard. The cars, trams, billboards, the ramshackle
buildings and the streets are a delight to watch.

In the pursuit of including too many aspects of what was happening then,
the film portrays many subplots that make the viewers hard to focus with ease. The
sequence are missed in the mind and before we could recollect and link, its
time to lose another link and therefore leaves room to drift and lose track of
the story.

The Villain Yang Guan (Neeraj Kabi) stands apart with his performance
especially when he is unmasked by Byomkesh by his logical sequencing of story
narration connecting the dots in front of Sukumar, Dr.Watanabe, Satyawati (Divya Menon),
Actress Angoori (Swastika Mukherjee) and Ajit. Yang Guan saying "Sach ke
rang dekha hi? ... Laal" makes him look more dreadful when he fearlessly mocks
Byomkesh. Meiyang Chang as Kanai Dao, a licensed opium merchant, is noticeable
for his short but good performance.

Shushant Singh Rajput as the young Bengali sleuth, Byomkesh Bakshy,
definitely manages to create an impact by fitting into the character so well by
his acting. "Sach ke aas pass wala jhoot pakadna mushkil hota hi",
and it truly seems to be when the sleuth is found to be caught in a maze
difficult to come out off. I must say that Sushant handles the pivotal role with
great ease.

Divya Menon as Satyawati has nothing much to offer on screen rather she
is an ornamental character whom the sleuth asks to be with for the rest of his
life in exchange for saving her brother Sukumar's life. Swastika Mukherjee as a
seductress adds steam and twist to the plot with her presence in the middle of
all the happenings.

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! definitely deserves a onetime watch. It
definitely may not appeal to some who want to watch movies with a straight and
simplistic narration. It may also dishearten die-hard fans of the original
Byomkesh Bakshi created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay because of Dibaker Banerjee taking liberty to fiddle with
the character to make appealing to his story line.

When the screen roles with the end titles, the dialogue - "Bakshi
Babu Mere Dosti Nahi Lepaye Tho Mere Dushmani Kaise Le Paavonge...", remains
there in our mind leaving us to speculate a comeback of Bakshi and Yang Guan in
a sequel to settle scores with each other.